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A preliminary investigation of the validity and reliability of the Brief‐Symptom Inventory‐18 in economically disadvantaged Latina American mothers
Author(s) -
Prelow Hazel M.,
Weaver Scott R.,
Swenson Rebecca R.,
Bowman Marvella A.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/jcop.20041
Subject(s) - psychology , construct validity , confirmatory factor analysis , distress , population , clinical psychology , sample (material) , psychological intervention , reliability (semiconductor) , exploratory factor analysis , disadvantaged , psychometrics , psychiatry , medicine , structural equation modeling , power (physics) , statistics , chemistry , physics , mathematics , environmental health , chromatography , quantum mechanics , political science , law
The purpose of the present study was to examine the construct validity and reliability of the Brief Symptom Inventory‐18 (BSI‐18) in 1,115 low‐income Latina mothers. Exploratory factor analyses conducted in half of the sample supported a one‐factor solution, which was subsequently confirmed in the remainder of the sample using confirmatory factor analyses. Contrary to its purported multidimensional structure, the BSI‐18 measures a single dimension of general psychological distress in this sample of Latina mothers. Nevertheless, the results provide evidence that the symptoms composing the BSI‐18 are meaningful expressions of general psychological distress among low‐income Latina mothers. The validity of the BSI‐18 as a measure of general distress was further supported by its correlations with theoretically relevant constructs. The BSI‐18's reliability was evidenced in its demonstration of high internal consistency. The BSI‐18 has utility for community psychologists and researchers as a general measure of psychological distress. For example, it could be given to low‐income Latina samples in community‐based interventions in which psychological distress might be a construct of interest. However, further research is needed to determine clinical cutoff scores for this population. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 33: 139–155, 2005.